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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29182314">An Easy Alliance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime/pseuds/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime'>embarrassingresultofmyfreetime</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners In Crime (Collection) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who &amp; Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Falling In Love, First Meeting, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Non-Gender specific reader - Freeform, Other, i did my best to write it so that any reader can see themselves in this, im ambitious like that lol, my goal is that you will cry but still laugh by the end of it, relationship is open to interpretation, this was a request</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:22:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29182314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime/pseuds/embarrassingresultofmyfreetime</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not easy to be a human with a Tardis.<br/>You have a doorway to any where and time in the universe- however, the catch is that the worlds on the other side are often treacherous and  it feels like they're against you at every turn. You begin to wonder if it's worth it, if you even deserve this opportunity, when a stranger saves you from it- in more ways than one.<br/>Maybe you're worth more than you know.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dhawan!Master x Reader - Relationship, The Master (Dhawan)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Partners In Crime (Collection) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2169414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An Easy Alliance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written By Request:<br/>"You're here." "I'm here, just like I promised." &amp; "I came back for you. I promised I would, and I did."</p><p>(I'll probably make a collection for fics I've written by request at some point)</p><p>WARNINGS: Feelings of Depression, passive suicidal thoughts<br/>(It's not that dark, it's actually quite optimistic by the end, but I always add a warning for anyone sensitive to these topics.<br/>Please stay safe, thank you.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's not easy to be a human with a Tardis.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>It's a bit of a long story as to how you've obtained a Tardis of your own in the first place.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Essentially you found it, purely by accident. The ship had fled from the Time War and was left to rot when it's pilot was killed. Tardises are known to be temperamental, and humans are notoriously weak telepaths- but neither of you would get anywhere without each other.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>In short, you struck up a deal. You take care of the Tardis, learn how to maintain her, and in return- she becomes your door to anywhere and any time in the universe.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It's difficult, seeing as the two of you can't communicate the way telepaths are able to talk to Tardises, but she- the Tardis insisted 'she'- was making do.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She translated the manual for you, provided you with food and clothes and shelter, and was patient as you slowly learned how to fix and fly her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As if teaching yourself every inch of advanced and sentient technology wasn't difficult enough- you also found yourself deeply out of place in the far away lands the Tardis took you to.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You're human. You're mortal. You look, dress, and act in a way that's out of place in most non-human societies. Even humans from the distant future- as little as a mere few centuries ahead- barely recognize you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You're clever and fast, but it's not always enough.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It's all too easy to offend people from cultures you've never met. Even if you do nothing wrong, it's your word against theirs.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>If you had a nickel for every time you've nearly been killed by a misunderstanding... Suffice it to say, you could easily afford the tungsten wiring your Tardis is always quick-tempered about.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>~</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It's in one of these situations that you meet... him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You're alone, as you always are, with cuffs scratching at your wrists.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The locals of a planet from the future have opted to skip the 'fair trial' bit and head directly to execution.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Of all the ways to go, you can't help but feel a bit... disappointed. A human with a Tardis, a person with a door to anywhere in the known universe, to any time that's ever existed- and this is how it ends.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You suppose you've already gotten more out of life than you could have hoped.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Maybe it's best to quit while you're ahead.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Really? That's all?" a voice echoes about the large room you're being detained in.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You whip your head about in a feeble and failing attempt to pinpoint the source of the noise. Whoever it is sounds almost amused.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Someone so quick, someone who's been so careful with the hand they've been dealt, and you're willing to give it all up- here and now?" the strange voice questions.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You spin your head around but there's nothing except shadows. You're set to die at noon and it's barely dawn.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Who said anything about giving up?" you reply sharply.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You're scared, but that's no reason to show it. You grit your teeth and glare into the darkness around you. You can't pinpoint the figure meandering about in the dark.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Why? You did, my dear," the voice replies, sounding pleasantly amused.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You squint in a failing attempt to make out the shape stepping into the pale moonlight.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Me? You don't know a thing about me! I've never met you in my life!" you retort.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And you know this, because you've barely met anyone. You travel to see the sights, not to interfere. You visit worlds to satisfy your curiosity and nothing more. Whoever this is, you've certainly never told them who you are.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The stranger only chuckles faintly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I know all about you. A human with a Gallifreyan Tardis? I've been observing you ever since I first detected your ship on Earth.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Then again, it's not your ship- is it?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your eyes widen momentarily, but you're quick to force your racing heart back down your throat.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"What I do is none of your business," you defend yourself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"And what I do is none of yours," the stranger replies in a passive song.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"However," they continue.</p>
  <p> </p>
  <p></p>
  <div class="">
    <p>They step out from the dark and into the white streaks of moonlight sneaking in from the skylight in the ceiling.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>They... look like a human man. A... quite well-kept and well-dressed human man.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>A deep purple jacket over an eccentric checkered suit, perfect dark hair that curls at the ends like waves over his face, and dark but shining eyes to match.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You can tell in an instant that you've never met anyone like this before.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"Things have grown dull and you're the first exception to the rule I've seen in a very long time," he says in a tone that suggests this confession is somehow a compliment. "You're never after anything. You only observe."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He tilts his head.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"As much as I dislike humans, somehow- you're different."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He paces about you until you can't see him anymore because of the way the cuffs keep you pinned to the chair in the middle of the room.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You lose sight of him for a brief second.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You fear the worst but then...</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>The cuffs fall with a clink and your hands are suddenly free.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"For you and only you," he says as he paces back into your field of vision, "I propose an alliance."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"An alliance?" you echo flatly. It's a question, to get him to elaborate, but also a surprise.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>All your time traveling, and no one's ever offered you such a thing before.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"Yes, dear," he says in a way that you would assume was patronizing if not for the polite tone of his voice, "an alliance. Your human mind is so loud, I've heard you wondering to yourself how to communicate with your ship, how to repair her, how to fly her. I can be beneficial in that field."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He sounds proud of himself.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You don't cave quickly. You aren't that naive.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You haven't made it through countless adventures- your feet pounding over the surfaces of countless planets, escaping all sorts of dangers- without being careful.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"And in return?" you ask cautiously. There has to be a catch somewhere.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"In return, you help me," he says warmly.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He looks you over with an amused smirk at his lips.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"You see, I have <strong>big plans</strong> for a certain enemy of mine. However, I don't have time to deal with the day-to-day nonsense of Earth. You help me with the little things and in return, whenever you need saving, I promise to be there."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He taps his chest with a prideful grin.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"I swear on my hearts."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You brush past him as you make your way for the door. You'd better get going before the guards return for your scheduled execution.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>The sun is coming up, dying the sky a beautiful purple haze.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"You think that's something you can promise? All of time and space, and you expect me to believe that?" you scoff at his words, "You'll abandon me the moment it's convenient. No deal," you tell him.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>He slips past you and reaches an arm across the doorframe to block your path. You cross your arms and glare at him.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>To your surprise, he looks angry.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"I'll have you know I take great offence to that! I make good on my promises- unlike <strong>some people</strong>," he grumbles that last part to himself.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"If I say I won't abandon you, I won't abandon you. If I say I'll be back, I'll come back," he says sharply as he stares you down.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>There's something in the way he locks his jaw, something in the way he takes offense to your distrust, something about the way he scrunches his nose and his brows- that make you realize he's telling the truth.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>"I keep my word," he insists gravely. "Which is something- you'll find in this universe- not many people do. This arrangement is mutually beneficial. You won't be offered a better deal than this."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You exchange a glare with him for a long moment.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>His gentle features are twisted up in anger, his eyes betray and old pain that you've dug up by offending him, his hand remains locked on the doorframe to block your path- and, for some reason, it makes you smile.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You huff a small breath.</p>
    <p> </p>
    <p></p>
    <div class="">
      <p>"You haven't done this whole 'alliance proposition' thing before, have you?" you ask him.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>He falters.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>"I haven't had any need for it before," he reasons. "However, I'm currently on a bit of a schedule. I have a lot of dominos to set up before my best enemy arrives to topple them," he admits. His expression softens at the mention of this 'best enemy'.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>You pat his shoulder and then pry his hand from the doorframe to pass him by.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>He caves easily and follows you outside.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>The dawn is breaking and you still need to get back to your ship.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>"Alright," you decide with a small sigh.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>You do need help with your Tardis and- more than anything- you certainly need someone to watch your back.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>It's not every day some well dressed stranger saves you from your own curiosity. You feel obligated to return the favor- seeing as he did just save your life- so you decide you might as well make the most of it.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>"What do you need me to do?" you ask, hopefully and yet still bracing for the worst.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="">
      <p>Your newest ally grins.</p>
      <p> </p>
      <p></p>
      <div class="">
        <p>~</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He mostly wants information about Earth. He doesn't tell you why- and you don't ask.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>It doesn't matter all that much to you anyway. With your Tardis, you've watched whole apocalypses pass you by. You've grown numb to it. In the end, it's always just a different verse of the same old worn-out song.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>You're tired and nothing holds your interest for long anymore. Whatever he's planning, you doubt it'll have any effect on you. You might as well keep up your end of the deal.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Once you gather everything on the requested topic, he asks for information on a new one. He wants to know about Cybermen next. He wants to know about The Great Cyberwars- but only odd specifics from near the end that were left undocumented.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>You begin to get the feeling that he needs to research their timeline for some reason, but he has an odd fear of them simultaneously. He doesn't want to get too close to the subject.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Again, you don't ask what it's for- and in return: you get more than you gave.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Your latest ally- he has yet to give you his name- plays translator for your Tardis. He explains bits of the manual you were stuck on and how the Tardis functions as a unit.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He's polite and- once you get past his gallows humor- he can be quite funny.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He explains how certain pieces of the Tardis controls have to be flipped in unison because Tardises are meant to have multiple pilots.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He's odd, he's blunt, and strangest of all: he's a very good cook.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He's the kind of person who always has a secret up their sleeve and he surprises you in all the best ways.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>You... begin not to mind his company.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>He always seems to know what you're about to say before you say it. You blame that part on his psychic abilities.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>However, it's almost nice to be understood in that way. In an abstract, personal, understanding way you've never known before.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>In response, he gauges that your words and actions are genuine. His ability to sense your unfiltered thoughts let him know that it's safe to open up to you in return, little by little.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Without even realizing the gradual change- he's suddenly a friend.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>~</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Now when you go out on adventures, when you're a lone mortal facing down the strange and terrifying perils of the universe, you're drastically less afraid.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>Instead of passing through with your head down, you're able to stare up at the stars and admire then. You can safely look forwards rather than watching over your shoulder.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>You're <strong>living</strong> instead of surviving.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>It happened so gradually, you'd barely even noticed.</p>
      </div>
      <div class="">
        <p>~</p>
        <p> </p>
        <p></p>
        <div class="">
          <p>One day your Tardis lands in a heavily guarded patch of sacred land. It looks like the hillside near a heavily fortified church.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You're not fast enough to explain why you're there, and even if you were- the local authority won't let you. They're very strict people with very black and white thinking.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You're tied to a chair and tossed in the back corner of the guard outpost. So few people get this far past their defenses that the locals don't even have a proper prison to toss you in.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>It's a long day indeed, awaiting whatever fate they have planned for you.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You're stuck in the box, alone, tied up in the dull silence. It's... annoying. Instead of wondering if perhaps you deserve it, you decide to escape.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>At some point, the guard leaves you alone. You kick the chair around and reach for the scissors on the guard's desk with your hand pinned tight to the metal frame of the chair with rope.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You don't have a chance of escaping, the physics simply aren't there. And even if you get untied, you'll never make it far alive. Still, that doesn't mean you're not going to try. You're not going to let the universe- nor your own apathy and fear- get the best of you this time.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>A different guard returns all too quickly. They're draped in the huge robes that the people who occupy this 'holy' land always wear. Of all the possible places to visit, you not only landed in the most heavily fortified part but also the most <strong>boring</strong>. It was basically just a monastery with a military guarding it.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You're not sure how you're going to reason yourself out of the fact that it very clearly looks like you're trying to escape.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You sharply kick at the guard's knee. It's all you <strong>can</strong> do. You're not sure if you can take them down, but it's worth a shot-</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"Bloody- F- Gah- Do you <strong>mind</strong>?!"</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You recoil visibly at the familiar voice.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"You?" You ask sharply.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>The faux-guard pulls their hood down to reveal a familiar face. He looks quite annoyed.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"Actually, my acquaintances call me, O- but yes. It's <strong>me</strong>.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>We made an agreement after all!" he hisses as if this all should be obvious to you.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"You're here," you observe, still quite shocked by the reveal.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He only rolls his eyes.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"Yes. I'm here, just like I promised. Do you really think so little of me?</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>I told you. When you need saving, I'll be there.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>I keep my promises."</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Without bothering to ask, he takes a seat on your lap. He sits sideways so the pressure doesn't pinch your thighs- which, all things considered- is quite polite of him.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He reaches down to his injured leg and rubs it with his hand for a moment. He appears to have a previous injury in that leg, and you very clearly haven't helped matters. Either way, once he's chalked up your assault to some bruising, he brushes the injury off.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"No, I'm just surprised," you tell him.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"You didn't think I would save you?" he asks, a little disappointed.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You press your lips together in a neutral expression. Whatever you think of saying, he already knows every word of it.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"I couldn't bet my life on it," you say simply.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He pulls a knife from his pocket and reaches around you to to saw through the tough rope.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"You tried to escape this time," he observes aloud.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You bite your tongue.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Yes, you did- didn't you?</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>It's interesting, the things you've begun to do ever since you gained someone to share your travels with. Someone who knows what it's like to do all of this. Someone who... knows what it's like to spend it alone, spending every day wondering if you're worth it.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He must hear your thoughts, as per usual, because he can't look you in the eye. He soon stands up again and leads you out.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>He doesn't say another word as you return to your separate Tardises and leave.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>~</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Things get better from there and soon it's a pattern.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You have fun, on your own. You see the sights, you walk the streets, you eat the food. It's quiet, but it's nice not to have anyone else with you to color the world in any other way than it already is.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>It's you and the world.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You and your flirts with danger.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You and narrowly escaping the authorities.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>You and wondering directly into the jaws of the latest beast- only to be met with the familiar eyes of someone who is no longer a stranger.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>"Again?" he asks.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Sometimes he plays dress up, sometimes he simply hypnoses the guards to let him through, but no matter the situation he's <strong>always</strong> dramatic about it.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>Seeing him always brings a smile to your face. It's rare, but it's always familiar. Being 'saved' becomes more of an excuse than a necessity.</p>
        </div>
        <div class="">
          <p>There's a learning curve to traveling the universe and before long, you've reached it's peak. You learn what to do, what to say, how to keep yourself safe.</p>
          <p> </p>
          <p></p>
          <div class="">
            <p>You don't <strong>need</strong> him anymore, but you're more than willing to let him drop in to 'save' you anytime. It becomes a comfort, to know that even when you mess up, you're worth saving.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>Sometimes you're in the middle of taunting a guard who hasn't even arrested you yet and when he shows up to hypnotize the problem away.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>And sometimes, he suggests that he'd better stick around for a bit to make sure you stay safe.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>And sometimes you recommend the pair of you get food together, and sometimes that meal turns into a walk through the park, and sometimes that walk turns into laying in fields of grass, staring up at the stars, exchanging ideas about the possibilities of this big old universe you find yourselves in.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>And sometimes you wonder why this person, who's so kindhearted and protective, so warm and good-humored, keeps you at arms length.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>There's something more about him, you suspect. There has to be.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You're willing to bet anything that it's something dark- but he never shows it.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>He's different when it comes to you. You're not certain why.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>Is it because you can't lie to him? Is it because you're honest with him? Is it because you don't ask, you don't press, you just let him be at your side whenever he chooses?</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>~</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>It hits you all at once one day that perhaps this arrangement has become more.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>It stays true to its core, to be mutually beneficial and serve in favor both parties personal interests, but that's not all it is anymore.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>Without realizing, it's suddenly two parties who mean a great deal to each other. Suddenly, you're <strong>choosing</strong> to help each other rather than acting in order to receive something in return.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You're not scared of danger anymore. You know how to get out of it now- and even if you can't, you know he'll be there.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You <strong>trust</strong> that he'll be there.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>He's no longer contingency, he's normalcy.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You're never traveling alone because he's always there, in the back of your mind, as you wonder if he might join you should the opportunity arise.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>Maybe you should voice this next time you see him.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>~</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>When you run into him, you're offering information- per another strangely specific request- that you obtained from a library in the distant future that your ally may or may not be banned from.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You consider asking why he can't fetch it himself, but you don't. He either offers information or not. One of the rules is that neither of you ask about the others' personal business.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>When you arrive at your typical meeting place, his own Tardis is a mess.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>It looks... like a cluttered house inside.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>The way it's decorated feels very unlike someone like him.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>He immediately hugs you as you enter. That's how you <strong>know</strong> something's wrong.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You catch him rather than hug him. You suddenly feel too sick to remember any of the things you had wanted to tell him.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"What's wrong?" is all you ask softly.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>He crumbles.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>He remains as elegant and unyielding as always, but it's easy to feel that he's trembling. His breathing shakes and his fingers lock into the fabric of your coat.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>It feels like a long time, ages, until he gets out a small sentence.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"I... have to go away for a while."</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>You're scared to know what that means.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"How long?" You ask tearfully.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"It depends," he breathes quietly.</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"On what?"</p>
          </div>
          <div class="">
            <p>"If my plan works."</p>
            <p> </p>
            <p></p>
            <div class="">
              <p>There's a long silence as his words hang heavy in the air.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You don't know what to say.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>The rule is that neither of you ask about the others' personal business.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You want to honor that rule but... the way he's acting... it scares you.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He clings to you, his fingers clawing desperately at your sleeves as he hangs his head down low, but he doesn't know what to say either.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>Eventually... he decides on a sentence.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"Do you remember... when we first met?" he asks quietly.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You nod.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"How could I forget?" you chuckle warmly in a weak attempt to lighten the mood.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He smiles for a split second. It comes and goes in the blink of an eye. He shakes his head and his expression grows darker as if he's scolding himself for something.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He lets go of your clothes and turns away.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"You didn't bother trying to escape on your own. The whole universe at your fingertips and... you didn't know what to do with it.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>I could hear your mind- I always can- and that day you... were about to give up fighting."</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You look off to the side and let your eyes fall to the floor.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>It's true. The whole universe ahead of you and you were nearly too tired to keep living in it.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You don't believe you deserved to find the Tardis anyways.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>Who were you to have a doorway to the universe? Who were you to intrude where you didn't belong? You never <strong>belong</strong> anywhere anyways. That was why you left Earth in the first place.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>There was never anywhere you fit. The only way you can justify your existence is by being useful, to the Tardis, and then to your new friend.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>On your own... you're no one. Sometimes you wonder why you bother at all.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"What about it?" you ask coldly as you cross your arms.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You don't want to think about that anymore.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>The two of you.... Helping each other gives you purpose. It gives you something to keep busy with.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You still felt the way you felt before you knew him sometimes, but you're improving. That has to be worth something.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He looks sad and broken.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You suddenly remember that he can hear every abstract hint of emotion racing through your mind.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"I feel that way too," he confesses.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>His words hurt to hear.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He slowly wonders off through the room. There he goes. Keeping you at arms length again.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"It's been fun... but it isn't sustainable. My lifespan is far longer than yours. It's not worth... us <strong>hurting</strong> each other over something that can't last."</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He shakes his head.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"All this time," he begins, "I've been working towards an <strong>end</strong>. I'm going to make a stand with my best enemy. I'm going to tell her everything I've learned.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>I'm going to make it so that she doesn't have another choice.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>I'm going to end something that should have never existed. For good."</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He sounds determined all of a sudden. His last mission.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He turns to you abruptly.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"I'm telling you this because I won't be able to help you anymore," he says steadily.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You blink at the tears in your eyes.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>Oh.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>So...</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>That's what he means.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"I... understand," is all you can say.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>There's a long moment of silence and then-</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You rush over to hug him. He lifts you up until your toes can barely reach the ground. He holds you tight against him and spins you about as your tears splash onto the shoulder of his coat.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You want to beg him not to go, but you know he's been preparing for this. He's clearly made up his mind. There's nothing you can do to stop him.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>And anyways.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>He already knows what you're thinking.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>"It'll be okay," he promises.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You want to believe him.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>You can't.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>~</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>It's quiet now.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>Something about it all makes everything else feel quieter.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="">
              <p>Everything feels... perhaps <strong>distant</strong> is the word you're actually looking for.</p>
              <p> </p>
              <p></p>
              <div class="">
                <p>And you feel tired again. No, <strong>apathetic</strong> is what you're looking for. As if you can't bring yourself to care about the real world anymore.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You feel like you're back where you started.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You don't know what to do.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You have more than you deserve. You're smarter than you know what to do with. You're more than ever before and yet as powerless as always.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Or...</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Maybe not.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You know more now. You can <strong>do</strong> more now.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You know what you're capable of when you aren't afraid and- as terrified as you are right now- you <strong>know </strong>what the right thing to do is.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>It's time to put everything you've learned to good use. He’s saved your life after all- in far more ways than one. It’s time you return the favor.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>~</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"Doctor!" the Master shouts as the Doctor abandons him for the latest of countless times.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Why is he surprised anymore?</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He should know by now that she always finds a loophole in his foolproof plans. That she always runs from danger. That she <strong>always leaves him</strong> in the end.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Now some idiot no-one cyberman-resistance soldier has pressed a button to detonate a planet-destroying bomb.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He'll be dead in seconds. Shattered into atoms and quirks and nothingness.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>For as much as the Doctor leaves him, the Master simply can't bring himself to leave her. He can't stop chasing her.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Quite soon, he won't have a choice.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>This is it. This is what finally pushes him over the edge.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>If the Doctor can leave him for dead like this then... she isn't the person he thought she was anymore. He'll finally learn better. He'll finally give up on her.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>It was a shame it was too late.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>The particle is active.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He runs but... he isn't going to reach his Tardis in time.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He's alone.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>~</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>And then suddenly he's not.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Suddenly he isn't in the crumbling Matrix room anymore. He isn't on Gallifrey at all.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He's standing, safe and sound, being held tight in someone's arms.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He comes to his senses slowly. The seconds don't feel real as they pass. He looks up to see that he's in your Tardis, in your arms, looking up at your face.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"You..." he breathes. He can barely feel reality around him.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"It just took a bit of fancy flying to swoop in, just a second in time, and save you," you smile at him.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He stares in disbelief.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"You came back for me," he says breathlessly.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"Of course I came back for you!" you chuckle. "It's like you're always saying. I promised I would, and I did."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"Saving you is my job!" he replies, still in shock.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"I had to return the favor sometime," you smile.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>His face is still locked in an expression of disbelief. He's still processing this.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You decide to make it easier on him.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"How about this:" you suggest with a heavy heart, "we go back to saving each other. To adventures and pastimes and pretending this is nothing more than a profession partnership.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Most importantly, we both take it one day at a time.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>And down the road, when we're done, once we've had all our fun, <strong>then</strong> we'll find out a way to go out in style.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p><strong>Together</strong>."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He contemplates this for a moment.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"You won't be offered a better deal than this," you smirk. "You'd be smart to take it."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He shakes his head.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"No," he says firmly.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Your eyes widen.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"No?" You ask nervously.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>The Master takes your hands in his own and laces your fingers together. He moves closer, his face inches from yours.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"No," he repeats. "I don't want to go back to how things were. I want a proper partnership.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>
                  <strong>You and me and the universe.</strong>
                </p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>I don't know how I didn't see it before."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>You laugh warmly as he presses his forehead to yours.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"I'll do it right this time," he promises. "I took care of what I needed to. No one will <strong>ever</strong> bother us now.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>We can..."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>His eyes darted about as he searched for the right words.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>He held your hands tighter in his own.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"We can go back to saving <strong>each other</strong>- the universe be damned.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Every day.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>For as long as you want," he promises wholeheartedly.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>"Whenever you need saving, I'll be there."</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>Your heart is racing.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>It's all you could ever want and more.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p><strong>He</strong> is all you could ever want and more.</p>
                <p>You don't need to agree out loud. He already knows. You voice it anyway.</p>
                <p>"Okay," you grin.</p>
              </div>
              <div class="">
                <p>~</p>
                <p> </p>
                <p></p>
                <div class="">
                  <p>In a strange way, you understand now.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>You understand why he saved you.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p><strong>You</strong> learned how to fly this Tardis. <strong>You</strong> learned how to save your friend from the clutches of death.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>You are worth the life you've made for yourself and more.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>You deserve to be happy- and you plan to be.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>You don't know why you ever believed you didn't.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>You have a doorway to anywhere. You have a hand to hold. You have a partner who would burn down every planet in the sky for you.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>It's time to go out there and get in trouble and make mistakes. To fight the same old fight against every new day and always emerge triumphant.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>And your partner is working on a new project. Something to do with regenerative healing using research he stole from the shambles of his old home.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>With any luck, maybe the two of you can travel the universe forever.</p>
                </div>
                <div class="">
                  <p>~</p>
                  <p> </p>
                </div>
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't often write in this style so please let me know what you think! I really appreciate it.<br/>Thanks for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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